I was expecting to like this book more than I did. While the premise and linguistics were interesting, the development of any character besides Robin was lacking. Letty remained an unsympathetic character on any individual level; Victorie was compelling when given space. The relationship between Robin and Ramy relied on hints throughout. While not necessarily a flaw, it left little room for character exploration. For a book that was over 500 pages, I was hoping for the characters to develop more deeply. Robin’s experience of double consciousness was the most complex and engaging aspect of the story.

The plot twists were predictable, starting with Anthony’s “death” and ending with Robin’s.

As a whole, the book kept me interested once I was a 100 pages in, but it left a lot to be desired.
Edit: The themes of the novel speak to how academia, particularly the humanities, continue to debate the ethics and responsibilities of translation and research. Some of the conversations between Robin, his cohort, and their professors sounded familiar, if not more overt, in the institution’s acceptance of colonization and belief in academia/knowledge as objective truth. (I will be rereading this book in a couple months and then again later on).